Anonymous
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: Regina finds herself at bar "Anonymous" where people usually go in search of one-night stands. Her friends signed her up for it and convinced her to give it a try, and even though she agreed, she's not thrilled about the whole experience. Until she meets the person she was matched with, that is. No magic AU. They're just ordinary people. Red Queen.


**A/N: This is actually chapter 6 of my fic collection "Take a Fall", but I decided to post it as a separate fic because I'm planning on writing a sequel. At some point. These two are just too cute together for me to leave them heartbroken. With that said, enjoy the angst! Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

The white neon sign that spelled 'Anonymous' was hard to miss. It was designed to catch the attention so that you'd find the bar easily. Regina rolled her eyes at the sight of the numerous little hearts in various shades of different colors that adorned the white letters. It was a place for one-night stands, and yet, they marketed it as if it was the portal to True Love.

She took a breath and got out of the car, heading towards the entrance. Her stomach was in knots but it was her own goddamn fault. She'd let herself be talked into this. She just hoped she wouldn't regret it.

At the reception she showed the card that had been delivered to her earlier that day and in exchange she received a white plastic band around her left wrist. It sported a heart in a pinkish shade and she almost rolled her eyes again but she stopped herself. Her friends had gone through all the trouble to arrange that evening for her. She could at least give it a chance.

As she entered the bar itself, her manners were the only thing that stopped her jaw from dropping. The area was much larger than she had expected and there were several corridors that led who knew where. There were three bars–one at each end and one in the middle–that looked well-stocked. She couldn't count all the booths that were scattered all over the place. The white glossy upholstery of the couches and stools looked differently colored every time the spotlights switched from one color to another. Quiet music was playing from speakers that were built in the walls. It was quiet enough so that you wouldn't have to shout when you were talking to someone but loud enough to make it impossible for someone standing more than five feet away from you to hear you. The music itself was pleasant – soft tunes and lyrics that didn't sound too cheesy. The word bar didn't really do it justice. The place was good and it was a pleasant surprise. Now she needed to find out if the same held true about the people.

Regina noticed a few couples that had already hooked up and also one trio whose bands had hearts in the same shade of green. Well, that was quick. She still didn't know who she was paired up with and the knots in her stomach tightened at the thought of finding out. She decided to have a drink before setting out to look for her match. The person might not have arrived yet. After all, there was half an hour left before they closed the entrance.

She headed to the bar at the far end as it looked less populated. It was empty in fact, save for the bartender. She made her way past a gay couple that have already reached first base, trying to calm her racing heart. She sat at the bar and ordered an apple cider martini. She looked around, fidgeting with her necklace–the tree of life–while she was waiting for her drink, wondering why the hell she had agreed to this. It might have been three years ago but she still wasn't over _it_. She wasn't ready to date. This wasn't really a date, which was the main reason why her friends had insisted that she did it, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for this either. In the few minutes it took for her martini to be prepared she'd almost brought herself to tears. She shouldn't be here. She should be home, curled up on the couch with Henry, reading comics or watching TV. She could leave, of course, but something was stopping her. Maybe it was her damned manners – there was another person whose evening she'd ruin too if she left now even though she didn't know who that was. Bur she owed it to that person and to herself to give the evening a chance.

She raised her glass, bringing it to her lips, but before she could take a sip, someone bumped into her, causing her to spill it all over the bar and the floor. Her outfit survived miraculously.

"I'm sorry," she heard a woman's voice. "They sometimes do that."

Regina looked to her left to find a brunette with red streaks in her hair who was wearing a short red dress and was at least a decade younger than her, sitting on the stool next to hers. Their bands were attached to one another. That was her match.

Emma had told her that the bands were a means to identify who you were paired with. The two–or more–bands with matching hearts were programmed to activate when in five feet of one another and start pulling on each other until they met – just like magnets. It wasn't supposed to be as forceful, though, but sometimes it happened.

"They're gonna detach in a minute," said the other woman, already looking for the bartender to let him know of the accident. "So..." she turned her attention back to Regina when she assured herself the mess was being taken care of. "This your first time here?" There was a wolfish grin on her face that showed confidence but did not make Regina uncomfortable much to her own surprise.

"Is it that obvious?" Regina asked, something in the other woman making her feel at ease. It didn't happen often but it was a pleasant surprise. As many things were proving to be that evening.

"Yeah," the other woman nodded and her honesty made the corners of Regina's mouth twitch up. "Oh, look! We got our hands back." She used the opportunity to motion for the bartender once again with the hand that had just been freed. She ordered another apple cider martini for Regina and a normal martini for herself before her whole attention was back on Regina. "How'd ya end up here?"

"Well..."

* * *

"You did what?" Regina raised her voice. She didn't mean to but she was too shocked to control it.

"We signed you up for an evening at 'Anonymous'," Tink repeated, a proud smile on her face. She looked pleased with herself and so did Emma and Mary Margaret if their grins were anything to judge by.

They had set her up on a blind date. Even worse actually. They had set her up on a date with a stranger that neither of them knew. She wasn't that familiar with the workings of 'Anonymous' but she'd heard enough to know that much and, really, the name said it all. She couldn't believe the nerve. She had to sit down.

"Come on now, cheer up!" Tink said when she saw her plop down on the couch without any grace, her legs almost giving out from under her. "You'll have a great time."

"And how do you know that?" Regina snapped at her and the pout that appeared on Tink's face made her feel a little better. They had no business prying into her private life like that. "If I agree to this, I'll be spending the evening with a stranger that could be a serial killer for all you know." She was going hysterical but she couldn't help it. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not now. Maybe not ever.

"Regina, relax," Emma said in a tone that suggested annoyance as she crossed her arms. "They require information for criminal record, mental illnesses and sexually transmitted diseases to give you access."

"Sexually transmitted diseases?" Regina raised a brow. "What do they need that for?"

Emma broke eye contact, looking at her boots."Well, if you don't want the evening to end, they provide access to bedrooms where you can... continue." She looked up at Regina, expecting her to explode but she didn't look angry. She was contemplating something.

"And how did you provide all that information about me without telling me?" Regina asked, locking eyes with her. Her face was blank but it was just the calm before the storm.

"I'm a detective and Mary Margaret works at the hospital which you usually visit," Emma said, holding her gaze. The determination was back in her eyes now. She'd expected this and was prepared for it.

"I cannot believe this!" Regina jumped to her feet. "You know what I've been through but instead of respecting me and my personal space, you invade my privacy like that," she snapped, her gaze shifting to Tink, then to Mary Margaret and then back to Emma. Tears of frustration were filling her eyes and threatening to fall so she turned away from them. She was ready to storm out of her own living room, but Emma blocked her way.

"Henry is worried about you, Regina."

Regina looked up at her, her vision slowly starting to clear from the tears when her attention was redirected to her son.

"We're all worried about you," Emma continued, looking at her dead serious. "You can't spend the rest of your life holed up in your apartment, only going out to do your job and run errands."

Regina's face softened at the worry that was written all over her friend's features. She turned to look at the other two and saw the same concern mirrored on their faces, too. Mary Margaret was even ready to burst in tears.

"I appreciate the concern," she said, making sure to look at every one of them to show that she really meant it, "but I'm not ready for this."

"And how would you know that if you don't try?" Tink countered, the passion she put into it almost causing her to lose her balance and fall out of her seat.

"Just give it a try," Emma said, putting her hand on Regina's upper arm.

Regina looked at her friends, feeling the need to cry again. They were right. Of course, they were. She had to start living again. If not for her own sake, then at least for Henry's. He shouldn't have to worry about her. She was his mother – worrying was her job. And worry she did, especially at the news that he was concerned about her. But she couldn't just move on and forget the past. It was like time had stopped and she was going on repeat every day, unable to find her future.

She sighed and went to sit back on the couch, Emma following suit. "So you've been _there_?" she asked when they were both seated. She tried to keep an open mind but the way she said the last word made it clear that she was failing.

"Yeah," Emma replied casually as if it weren't a big deal, trying to make her feel comfortable with the idea. "Several times. And I can assure you it is safe both for you and your personal information." She turned to sit sideways, facing Regina. "I mostly enjoyed it."

"Mostly?" Regina raised a brow, looking rather skeptical.

"There was this one guy that was just... weird." Emma rested her head on her hand, her elbow on the couch's back. "I had a feeling he would turn into a monkey and sprout wings any second."

"That's oddly specific," Mary Margaret spoke, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"I know but that's how it felt," Emma defended, sitting up a bit..

"Is that another made-up superpower of yours? Sensing vibes?" Regina sassed.

"Hey, my superpower is real and works." Emma pouted, playing offended. "Anyway, other than that guy, everyone else I met was great," she said, abandoning the pretense.

"How do they match the people?" Regina asked, knowing that the longer they discussed it, the longer she'd have before she had to give them an answer. Besides, she could use the information to make up her mind.

"I have no idea," Emma shrugged. "It seems random. There was this one brunette I was paired up with that I'm pretty sure was supposed to be a dragon but ended up a woman somehow." She paused dramatically, giving the information time to sink. Nobody was impressed enough to comment so she continued. "We seemingly didn't have anything in common but we really hit it off."

"I didn't know you were bisexual," Tink blurted out, causing Emma to burst in laughter and Regina to glare at her.

"I'm not," Emma said through a fit of giggles. "That was my first time there and there had been a mix up with my application. I didn't know that the default setting for sexual orientation was 'attracted to both genders'. So I ended up paired with a woman but it was a happy coincidence."

"But you checked the settings on my application, right?" Regina asked, sounding rather worried. She thought the whole idea was risky enough. She didn't want any more surprises.

"I didn't fill out your application," Emma answered, becoming serious again. "Mary Margaret did."

They all looked at the woman in question who retreated as far as possible in her seat under their gazes full of expectation. "Sexual orientation settings?" she squeaked out.

There was a pause in which everyone was quiet and then the storm hit.

"You didn't know?" Regina asked, trying to keep her voice calm and not cause Mary Margaret to flinch even more than she already did.

"How was I supposed to?" Mary Margaret cried. "Emma didn't tell me," she jumped to her feet, acting all defensive.

"That's a lie," Emma yelled in response. "I told you. It's not my fault you didn't hear me," she said, supporting her words with angry gesticulation.

"Everyone, calm down." Tink also stood up from her seat, trying to bring some peace among the chaos but unsuccessfully.

However, the sound of the door opening was enough to make all the commotion cease.

Zelena walked in, carrying two paper bags full of groceries. She took a look at them and then walked to the kitchen island. "I see you've told her," she said after leaving her load on the counter.

"What was your part in all this?" Regina gestured vaguely, her tone colder than she'd intended. She was just a bit annoyed by her sister's relaxed attitude towards the whole situation.

"They asked for my opinion," Zelena leaned back on the counter, looking unimpressed by Regina's glare. "I told them it would probably be good for you which was why I thought you wouldn't agree."

* * *

"I guess I agreed out of spite. Now that I think about it, my sister probably knew I would do that and said it to give me a push." Regina pursed her lips at the thought of being so predictable and easy to manipulate.

"That's a pretty crazy story." Her companion smiled, causing her to do the same. There was something magnetic in that woman that made her feel at ease around her. "But those are the ones that end up as great memories."

Regina nodded. That wasn't how they ended in her experience but she didn't want to ruin the mood. "What's the story behind your being here? Did your friends signed you up behind your back?" she asked, suddenly feeling a bit exposed. She'd already said a lot about herself.

"Oh, no." The other woman chuckled. "They wouldn't do that. One of them is a librarian and the other is a happily engaged mother." She smiled to herself at the thought of her friends. "If anything, I would be the friend to pull a stunt like that. No, I'm kind of a regular." She took a sip of her martini, avoiding eye contact for the first time since they met. No wonder really, seeing that Regina had spoken with such distaste about the whole experience.

"You enjoy this?" Regina asked, trying not to sound too shocked or repulsed by the thought and–she realized–probably failing.

"I'm not up for more yet." There was something raw and inconsolable in the way she said the words, something that resonated deeply with Regina, but before she could prod more into it, her companion changed the topic. "I would ask for your name but... you know."

"Yes, the whole 'anonymous' thing. I hear that people get thrown out if they mention their names." Emma had warned her about that. She hadn't paid much attention because she'd thought she wouldn't feel the need to make acquaintances. But maybe she had been wrong. She felt drawn to the other woman as if she'd known her in a previous life or something. Just like she felt when she was around her friends.

"Mhm," her companion nodded energetically. "There was a situation with a client who claimed their private information had been leaked when, in fact, he'd been the one to share it." She took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Since then it's absolutely forbidden to tell anyone your name or something that could help them identify you," she said, leaning in conspiratorially. "How the staff knows if you break the rules remains a mystery." She gave Regina a meaningful look over the rim of her glass as she took another sip of martini.

Regina did the same, feeling a little disturbed by that information. Something was up and they both knew it but while it didn't seem to bother the other woman, it put her on edge.

"Anyway, since names are off the table," her companion engaged her attention again, not giving her time to dwell on the unsettling thoughts, "what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a prosecutor," she answered without any thought. Usually she would think twice before she'd disclose information about her job, but that evening everything was wrong. Everything except for her company.

"Well, look at you, Madam Prosecutor!" The other woman exclaimed and Regina hoped she did not intend to call her that for the rest of their time together.

"What about you, Red?" The nickname rolled off her tongue as if she'd practiced saying it. She had no idea where it had come from but it sounded right.

"I was gonna tell you to call me Scarlet but Red's close enough." She smiled at her once again. "I'm a waitress. My granny owns a diner and she wants me to take over it one day but I don't know if I can do it," she said, looking down at her hands in her lap. She was showing insecurity for the first time that evening and Regina's heart was being squeezed into her chest by an invisible force.

She fought off the impulse to reach out to Red and catch her hand as she wasn't sure how she'd react. "I'm sure you'll do great," she said instead and offered a reassuring smile when Red looked at her. "It sounds like you love what you do."

"I do," Red nodded, the smile coming back to her face. "It makes me happy," she said although it wasn't necessary. It was obvious by the way her whole face lit up when she talked about it.

Regina could only wish to feel like that about her own job.

"What about you? Helping convict criminals isn't fulfilling enough?" Red asked, sensing the change in her mood.

Regina shook her head. "It's not that. It's just..." She paused, struggling to find the words. "I've always loved horses and riding. I wanted to be a horseback riding instructor but my mother stepped in and... here I am." She chuckled humorlessly, looking down. She hadn't told any of her friends about that dream. Her mother had convinced her that it was stupid and childish and not worth pursuing and god knows what else. She'd been too embarrassed to tell anyone about it after that. And here she was, spilling it all to someone whose name she didn't know.

Red reached out and squeezed her hand. "It's never too late to do what you love."

For Regina there has never been a right time to do what she loved. "I would only trade my job for another if the new one didn't pose a threat to my life. I don't want my son to be an orphan," she said harsher than necessary but Red didn't look offended by her sharp tone.

"So I take it the father is not in the picture if you're here?" she asked as she let go of her hand, and the knots in Regina's stomach made themselves known again. "You don't have to answer if it's too personal," Red added quickly when she sensed another shift in the mood.

"There was no father," Regina replied, earning a questioning look. "I adopted my son when he was just a baby. He found his birth mother a few years ago. We're raising him together now."

"You weren't married?" Red asked incredulously.

"No," Regina said quickly, not giving herself time to hurt. "I'm an old maid," she joked trying not to pay attention to the ring of self-pity in her voice.

"I don't believe this." Red raised her glass to her lips once again, reminding Regina of her own martini that was practically untouched, forgotten on the bar in favor of the engaging company. "A beautiful woman like you must have a lot of suitors." She winked flirtatiously.

"What about you?" Regina decided to keep the conversation going, not sure if she was comfortable with flirting just yet. "You said you didn't want anything serious. Why not?"

"I'm not over my last boyfriend yet," Red said, not offering more and avoiding her gaze, a blank mask falling over her face.

"What happened?" Regina asked despite that. Or rather because of it. She remembered what all her friends had told her three years ago. That she'd always put on a blank mask when the emotions were too much to handle. And she knew that in those moments she'd been dying slowly on the inside. She wasn't going to watch someone else die, too.

"He died," Red said, her face still so impossibly blank.

"I shouldn't have..." Regina didn't know what to say. She'd known what was coming deep down but that didn't mean that she had any idea what to say. What was there to say to someone in that situation no matter how well you knew them?

"It's not your fault," Red spoke after a while and as if from afar. Her gaze was going straight through Regina to a moment back in time. "But his death was my fault."

Regina kept quiet, waiting for her to continue.

"We were camping in the woods. I dared him to go deeper and sleep under the starts. He said it was dangerous, that there were wolves, but I wouldn't listen." She chuckled bitterly. "He paid for my mistake." The mask cracked and fell off, leaving raw agony underneath. "The wolves tore him to pieces, all the while they didn't even come near me. As if that was their gratitude for the meal I'd brought them." Tears started rolling down her cheeks, smearing her mascara. "He screamed and called my name and I couldn't... I couldn't help him." She started sobbing, her chest heaving violently, her lungs fighting to draw in air.

Regina quickly reached into her purse and took out a tissue, handing it to Red, who tried to thank her but wasn't in condition to do so. Regina put a hand on her arm, rubbing it soothingly.

The tears stopped a lot sooner than Regina had expected them to.

"I'm sorry," Red spoke when her breathing normalized. "Thank you," she said when Regina gave her a hand mirror and a wet wipe and started cleaning the smeared makeup. "I didn't think I had any tears left. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be."

"No, I ruined the evening. Now I feel bad." She offered an apologetic smile that Regina hadn't asked for and it hurt her to see it.

"Don't apologize for your grief," she said, locking eyes with Red, hoping she'd understand how much she really meant it. "You didn't ask for it either."

The other woman slowly nodded.

"You didn't ruin my evening. I know what it feels like to lose love." There it was. The one thing she never thought she'd say that evening. She'd agreed to go out in order to forget her pain. But maybe forgetting wasn't in the cards for her.

Red slowly closed the hand mirror and gave it back to her as if to give her a sign that she had her undivided attention in case she wanted to talk.

She didn't. "Our story was a short one but it was epic nonetheless," she started because she didn't want to talk but she needed to. "We managed to find our way back to each other every time an obstacle appeared. That was until my sister's boyfriend turned out to be insane and tried to shoot me. My boyfriend jumped in front of me to protect me." She swallowed but forced herself to continue. "He emptied a whole magazine into him and watched calmly as his body fell to the floor, reloading his gun to do the same to me." Regina clenched her fists, her nails digging into her flesh, the pain keeping her focus on the present. "My sister managed to get his gun and shot him, saving my life. But my boyfriend was gone. There was blood everywhere–his blood–on my hands, which he'd always try to warm when he noticed they were cold, on the furniture, where we'd always play with our children, on the floor, where we'd make love." She felt bile rise in her throat but continued because otherwise she would throw up. "My sister was there, trying to offer me some comfort, but I was alone and I would always be." Her body started shaking as if she was cold. And she was, but on the inside.

"Hey, stay with me," Red caught her hands, causing Regina to look at her. "Stay with me, okay?"

Regina nodded and the smile Red gave her warmed her up. The trembling gradually subsided while Red rubbed the back of her hands with her thumbs. Neither of them seemed to mind the silence that had settled around them. Regina rather enjoyed it actually. So much in fact that she wouldn't mind staying till morning came.

She grabbed at Red's hands.

"What's wrong?" Red asked, alarmed.

Regina didn't say anything. She leaned in and Red mirrored the movement, closing the space between them but still keeping some distance, leaving the choice of what happened next to Regina. She hesitated for a moment before moving even closer until she could smell the alcohol on Red's breath, leaving just a small gap between them. A gap that widened when she pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this." Regina extracted her hands from Red's and jumped from her stool, frantically gathering her things and shoving them into her purse.

"It's all right," Red said, also standing up. For Regina's relief she didn't sound hurt. Only confused.

"I'm sorry for leading you on like this." She slapped a hundred on the bar, grabbed her purse and dashed towards the exit, trying hard as all hell not to look back.

At the reception her band was removed. The moment it left her wrist, Regina had the feeling that someone had ripped her heart out, leaving a gaping hole in its place. Despite her best efforts, she turned to get one final look of the bar and saw Red standing a few feet away from her. She gave her a sad smile that Regina couldn't return for the life of her. She managed a nod and made her escape while she still could.

She hadn't even reached her car when the tears started falling. Not for the love she'd lost, but for the one she'd never have. Because 'Anonymous' was a place for one-night stands, not a portal to True Love.


End file.
